5 lessons we learned from Clara Benin’s ‘befriending my tears’

FILIPINO singer-songwriter Clara Benin has just released her widely anticipated sophomore album called befriending my tears.

On August 11, Benin dropped nine songs under her second studio album, which delves into self-acceptance and healing.

According to the musician, befriending my tears is her way of “making sense of this world,” where she turns her thoughts and emotions into songs that people can relate to.

“I hope this record makes you feel seen and loved—just like it did for me,” Benin wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

The tracks from the Wine singer include imposter syndrome, small town, blink, different, affable dork, momentary, keep still, darling, i’ve been there, and don’t hurt yourself trying to get it back.

Along with Benin’s consoling vocals and lyrics that feel like a warm hug in times of trouble and self-doubt, here are five things we have picked up from befriending my tears.

Just go along with the ride

These days, I’m not liking myself

Do I just fake it till I make it I’m afraid I never will

Opening the befriending my tears album is an alternative pop track called imposter syndrome.

Here, Benin talks about trying to come to terms with the persona’s loneliness.

This song reminds listeners that it is okay to dislike themselves while trying to overcome their personal situations.

Moreover, Benin also imparts to her audience that while navigating the many uncertainties in life, they have to accept that they have to go along with the ride in order to transcend these.

Despite the misadventures, keep going

Like a spring that’s rising up within me

Black and white turn to color

The grass is greener on my side, finally

Like it’s the first time I’m falling in love with life

The sixth track in Benin’s latest album called momentary is a song she performed with her father and Side A bassist Joey Benin back in 2016. 

It’s a song that tackles the importance of learning the value of moving forward regardless of the challenges people confront in their lives. 

Momentary offers a realization that despite the twist and turns and the misadventures, life is still beautiful and there are enough reasons to keep going.

Being alive is a miracle

I’m a disarray of clouded conclusion

Never a hundred percent present when

None of this is making sense

Think I’m out of my body again

On the outside looking in

Keep still is one of the first songs Benin released prior to dropping her album.

Centered on the theme of healing, this pop song is a reminder that although there may be days people might feel they are not their best selves, there’s still a miracle in being alive.

You don’t have to go through it alone

All your secrets and scars are a work of art

Oh you’ve got nothing else to prove

You’ve already won my heart

Benin’s second to the last track in the album is called darling, i’ve been there.

As soft as her vocals, this song feels like a hug and an offer of help.

It tells people that it is okay to embrace the fact that we need others to help us while we attempt to recover from the struggles that inflicted pain on our hearts.

In order to get through our dilemmas, we need people who will be willing to sit down and listen to our woes.

When you lose things, better things will come your way

You’ve got so much soul

And a heart so beautiful

There is so much more (than what you’re holding on to)

So let go

In life, it is inevitable to lose things and people we hold dearly in our hearts. But just because we love something or someone doesn’t mean we should scrape our knees to get it back.

Sometimes, the best thing to do, albeit difficult and painful, is to let go.

Benin’s don’t hurt yourself trying to get it back aims to impart the same message. It intends to remind listeners that when a door closes, another opens. When we lose things, we can replace them with better ones.

This closing track in befriending my tears also wants to tell its audience that life shouldn’t lose its charm just because a connection was severed. There are always more to life than the things we can no longer hold on to.